Articles from newspapers and websites around the nation

Headlines: Oklahoma

Edging toward final approval at the state Capitol is a proposal that would shift the Sooner State's largest government pension plan (the Oklahoma Public Employees Retirement System, or OPERS) away from the billions it faces in unfunded liabilities for the "defined benefit" pensions most public employees now receive.

Headlines: Florida

Reviving hopes for one of House Speaker Will Weatherford's key priorities, a divided House State Affairs Committee on Friday signed off on a scaled-back set of changes to the pension system for public employees.

Headlines: Rhode Island

Their fight centers on the General Assembly's cost-cutting overhaul of Rhode Island's public employee pension system in 2011: specifically, the suspension of annual cost-of-living adjustments until the retirement system is 80 percent funded.

Headlines

The unfunded liabilities of public-employee pension plans rose by 10 percent in fiscal 2012 to a record $914 billion, hit by low investment returns, missed contributions and unfunded benefits, underscoring the pension funding crisis in U.S. states and cities, a report by the Pew Charitable Trusts said.

Headlines: Kentucky

The Kentucky General Assembly approved a $20.3 billion biennial spending plan Monday that authorizes $20.3 billion in spending for education, Medicaid, pensions, and other state government services while cutting spending in many state agencies by 5 percent through fiscal 2016.

Headlines: Rhode Island

The fate of Rhode Island's landmark pension overhaul — a model cited in other states wrestling with escalating retirements — now hinges on the votes of the same government workers and retirees who sued to block the law.